The Internet is used for a variety of functions, including transmission of data, text, pictures, and music. Most Internet access is currently obtained through wired means, such as a DSL line or a cable modem. Increasingly though, Internet access is available wirelessly, either within a structure such a home or outside a structure such as in a public park. As wireless Internet begins to become the dominant form of Internet access worldwide, new opportunities to connect previously unconnected devices to the Internet become possible.
Currently, most devices, aside from computers, personal data assistants, and wireless phones do not have the capability to receive or send data through the Internet. To the Internet, these devices are unreachable and therefore do not exist. However, by providing a wireless Internet connection component to these devices, they may then be connected to the Internet and be manipulated remotely. The dominant Internet language is currently HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language). A markup language is a combination of text and extra information pertaining to the text. There are many different languages, however, but none treat devices as web objects able to be viewed as a webpage. Web objects are hereinafter defined as an object which can transmit its specific data via the Internet to a remote user who can view and manipulate the data via a web browser.
Viewing a device as a web object is desirable because it creates a number of opportunities to interact with a device. Besides simply viewing a device's static information—such as its serial number, model number, and location—a user can also interact dynamically with a device. By equipping a device with a mini-server (a computer that accepts HTTP requests from web browsers and provides data flow) a user can retrieve data from the mini-server pertaining to the device but also monitor the device and command the device to do certain tasks remotely.
Another desirable aspect of viewing a device as a web object is the ability to gather data for research purposes. Manufacturers of products/devices are always very curious as to how they are being used, and obtaining this information through traditional means is difficult, expensive, time consuming, and generally not very accurate. However, if a manufacturer could access performance data from every device it sells, every day each device is operable, the data gained would be invaluable toward continuous improvement processes. Viewing all devices made by a manufacturer as a web object would enable a manufacturer to achieve that goal.
What is needed then is a system and markup language for information extraction from stand-alone devices in the Internet. The present invention uses an object-oriented markup language, similar to HTML to apply the concepts of language intent to correctly convey the meaning of a content-based webpage. This new scripting method and language makes an electronic device a web object in webspace (the Internet). The method of the present invention provides for a user to interact with many devices in webspace. Further, the present invention also includes miniature servers (mini-servers) that are attached to or integral to the devices or objects. These mini-servers connect wirelessly and securely to the Internet and communicate using the markup language of the present invention to present to designated users a webpage display of the devices in a web browser. The web browser extracts information from the mini-server equipped devices for analysis and processing in an easy and efficient manner over the Internet. The present invention also provides for different human languages (such as English, French, Japanese, etc.) to be displayed on the webpages, depending on the user's preferences and location.
It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the apparatus, system, and method of the present invention, as represented in figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the invention.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” (or similar) means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples, etc., to provide a through understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.